‘Image’ conscious rowdies take to social media

Hyderabad: The city’s rowdy sheeters are turning into a case study for multiple personality disorder, albeit of a different kind. The disorder comes to the fore when we watch them in front of a police officer. Meek, hands folded, head bowed in respect and an embodiment of decency. Cut to the videos posted on YouTube […]

Hyderabad: The city’s rowdy sheeters are turning into a case study for multiple personality disorder, albeit of a different kind.

The disorder comes to the fore when we watch them in front of a police officer. Meek, hands folded, head bowed in respect and an embodiment of decency. Cut to the videos posted on YouTube and other social media platforms by their ‘fans’. The humble person disappears, and in comes, accompanied with adrenalin-charged songs, Tigers who cannot lose to anyone and have the whole world standing in awe.

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The multiple personality game began recently after the police began calling history sheeters in the city regularly to the police station for ‘counselling sessions’. This was to keep an eye on them and also to allay fears among public. The rowdies, understanding that this would corrode their ‘image’ among the people, are now on a ‘brand’ building exercise, using social media for the purpose.

They have got their followers regularly posting photographs and videos of events they attend, their personal functions, all accompanied by popular movie background scores and with visuals making an effort to portray them as celebrities.

A history sheeter from Mallepally recently posted a video from the engagement function of his son held at a palatial function hall in the city. The visuals, akin to the entry scenes in superstar movies, also showed celebrities and known figures paying their respects to ‘Bhai’, with the videos raking in over 20,000 views. Followers of another history sheeter from the same area posted videos of his birthday celebrations on various social media platforms, with that video too going viral locally.

“Of late, such videos and pictures of criminals portraying themselves as celebrities on social media are sending a wrong message. Youngsters are getting influenced with the content and are in wrong perception of the law,” said S Q Masood, a social activist from the Old City.

Many young rowdy sheeters are maintaining such self-boosting accounts on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram with regular posts that extol their ‘virtues’ and ‘power’. “We are seeing all this. If there is a violation of law, action will definitely be initiated against them. We are also monitoring the content regularly to see who all are rubbing shoulders with these criminals,” a Task Force official said.

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